{"id":84684,"date":"2025-10-29T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2025\/10\/29\/chinas-military-may-discard-its-rigid-command-structure-report-warns\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:17:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:17:54","slug":"chinas-military-may-discard-its-rigid-command-structure-report-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2025\/10\/29\/chinas-military-may-discard-its-rigid-command-structure-report-warns\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s military may discard its rigid command structure, report warns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Even as China embarks on a massive military buildup, America comforts itself with an ironclad belief: As with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, superior Communist numbers will be undercut by rigid command and clumsy tactics that can be exploited by more agile U.S. forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what if China embraces the more flexible Western concept of mission command? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Chinese military that fully embraces mission command would likely lead to improved operational performance, with quicker decision-making, better adaptability, and greater resilience in the face of degraded C4ISR,\u201d according to a new report<\/a> by Rand Corporation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is evidence that Chinese military reformers are beginning to push for the People\u2019s Liberation Army to adopt mission command, researchers warn in the U.S. think tank\u2019s Oct. 22 report. A more flexible, decentralized Chinese system would be more resistant to U.S. tactics such as attacking command and control centers. In turn, the report suggests, this would force the U.S. to revise its strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept of mission command<\/a> essentially means commanders expressing the general intent of the mission, leaving subordinates to use their own judgment on how to implement those goals. It is an approach that worked well for the Germans in World War II and works well for the Israel Defense Forces today, enabling initiative and rapid decisions while their opponents waited for orders from higher command. Today\u2019s U.S. military \u2014 in theory at least \u2014 embraces mission command, despite frequent concerns that commanders micromanage their subordinates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

China\u2019s political leaders have long worried that the effectiveness of their armed forces are being undermined by rigid and over-centralized command, unrealistic training and widespread corruption. A 2023 Pentagon report pointed to \u201cgenuine anxieties among PRC [People\u2019s Republic of China] leaders about the PLA\u2019s readiness and ability to conduct joint operations if tested under real combat conditions.\u201d China\u2019s president Xi Jinping has conducted repeated purges of senior officers, with nine generals and officials recently expelled<\/a> as part of an anticorruption drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, reformers are gingerly testing the waters, with mission command appearing in select units such as special operations forces and warships operating in distant waters, according to the Rand report\u2019s authors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is ample evidence that Chinese military strategists are advocating for institutional PLA adoption of mission command,\u201d Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga, who co-authored the Rand study, told Defense News. \u201cAnd that some PLA units are experimenting with mission command in some PLA exercises, but it is unclear so far how widely mission command is being adopted throughout the PLA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Controlling the military is a dilemma for any authoritarian government. The military is usually the force that props up the regime \u2014 and is the one force that can overthrow it. In Nazi Germany, for example, the armed forces, or Wehrmacht, were made to swear an oath<\/a> to Adolf Hitler rather than Germany itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, the PLA is not the armed forces of the Chinese nation, but rather the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party. Commissars<\/a> sharing command with regular officers at every level \u2014 from army headquarters to submarines on patrol \u2014 enable the CCP to keep an eye on the military. For the PLA, the \u201cfirst and primary responsibility is to ensure the continued survival of the CCP regime, and generally to faithfully follow the orders of the CCP leadership,\u201d Rand researchers noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
YJ-19, China’s first operational hypersonic cruise missile, seen during a military parade in Beijing, Sept. 3, 2025. (Greg Baker\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The report\u2019s authors see three options for China. For the U.S. and its allies, the most dangerous would be for the Chinese military to fully adopt mission command, the report suggests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe U.S. way of war has historically focused on degrading adversary C2 [command and control],\u201d the report notes. \u201cA PLA that embraces mission command is likely to be much more resilient against such U.S. strategies, requiring adapting or developing new U.S. approaches.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way for the U.S. to impede Chinese adoption of mission command is to avoid joint exercises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPotential PLA exposure to successful foreign command practices should be a factor when U.S. allies and partners consider undertaking a bilateral or multilateral exercise with the PLA,\u201d the authors suggest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another option is partial adoption of mission command, perhaps out of skepticism that Chinese commanders are capable of fully implementing the concept. Some units, such as special operations and warships, would enjoy some degree of operational freedom (though nuclear, space and cyber forces would likely remain tightly controlled). However, this could be problematic if \u201cinadequate implementation and organizational dynamics lead to a faulty hybrid of centralized and mission command that result in inconsistent PLA operational performance,\u201d the study states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It could also increase the chance of war. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA PLA command structure that empowers lower-level command while not improving command capability and discipline could result in more aggressive and self-interested behavior, without central PLA leadership direction,\u201d the report warns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, China\u2019s leaders may simply decide that it\u2019s safer to keep the existing system of tight command. This may involve more frequent use of \u201cskip echelon,\u201d where military and political leaders bypass the chain of command and issue orders directly to lower-level formations. This option would show \u201cCCP desires for political control outweigh any acknowledged benefits for operational performance, leading to slow, more brittle PLA command,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, voices within the Chinese military may still carefully call for reform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe CCP will almost certainly continue to prioritize Party control, as evident in recent purges of PLA senior leadership,\u201d Beauchamp-Mustafaga said. \u201cBut PLA advocates of mission command would argue that Beijing can have its cake and eat it too. Decentralized execution while retaining high levels of Party control when it matters.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new Rand report explores the prospect of China embracing the more flexible Western concept of mission command and what that means for U.S. strategy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":119899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":13,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,13,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3326],"class_list":["post-84684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"VF2FP5CF5ZH4JMKMNVOT2WATRI","arc_canonical_url":"\/global\/asia-pacific\/2025\/10\/29\/chinas-military-may-discard-its-rigid-command-structure-report-warns\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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